boltonblue

toyota says drive with a glass of water on the dash.

ok so they want to help you improve mileage

personally I'm more of an empty the glass kind of guy.

Vanishing Point

When I first read this I thought Toyota had instituted a cost savings measure where they eliminated cup holders from their cars.

I'm too old school, everyone knows the tach goes on the dash! At least they did at one time.

trapper

I don't think I'll try getting on I-95/128 using that technique any time soon.

ralper

The more thing change, the more they remain the same. Years ago the drivers in the Mobil Economy Run were taught to drive as if they had an egg between their foot and the accelerator pedal.

That was something like 40 years ago, and now we substitute a glass of water on the dash. I guess water makes less of a mess than eggs. Besides, with Toyota's sticking gas pedals the egg probably wouldn't work anyway.

gomarlins3

Good advice, but no one is going to do it.

HannibalACP82

It is interesting and it can be a fun effort in cost savings. I always end up getting bored and deciding that I'd rather get to where I am going in a hurry than save some extra money on gas/mileage/wear and tear/etc.

Oh well.

Traveler

I don't think this would work for me. There are some steep roads here. I don't think I could keep a glass of water on the dash while parked.

Matt_in_VA

I for one am constantly amazed by the "jack rabbit starts" of people. Especially in SUV's and more often than not driven by females. OK, it is closely followed by guys in Ford or Toyota V-8 pickup trucks that have a Flow Master exhaust system and I think that they just like to hear the sound it makes.



The last time that I attended the Skip Barber Driving School in 2001 they put us through a drill that they called "The Champagne Solemn". They suction cup a device on your hood that resembles a champagne glass (not a flute) that is made to be level and place a tennis ball in it. The drill is to drive around a autocross like course without having the tennis ball come out of the glass. If it does, one has to stop, get out, retrieve it, get back in an continue, all the while the clock is running. It of course is designed as a test of how smooth one is. As driving fast is really all about smoothness which of course directly affects weight transfer which directly affects vehicle dynamics. Vehicle dynamics is the balance of the vehicle which translates to what Mark Donuhue referred to as the "friction circle". The friction circle is the refers to the tires ability to perform at 100% of a given function of a tire. In other words, 100% traction of either acceleration, deceleration or cornering force. That 100% is the total of all three forces of the tires capability. The key to driving fast it to understand that balance an master the friction circle to drive at 100% all the time in racing.

I have to state that I was pissed that out of the class of eighteen drivers I had turned in the fastest time until my long time friend beat my time on his last of two runs by 1/10 of a second.

PanteraKitty

Both the eggs on the gas and brake pedals and the glass of water on the dash are more than 40 years old, but not for fuel mileage. Those were both training aids for teaching someone to drive on ice. Don't break the eggs or don't spill the water. Both very effective ways to drive on ice.

rich85tpi

That always happens to me too.

My best gas mileage occured during a long weekend in Lake George. There was always so much traffic between Lake George Village and Bolton Landing (where we were staying) that I never went faster than 40. I ended up getting almost 35 MPG on that tankful.